No One Pushes The Hummel Hudsons Around
by ificannotflyletmesing
Summary: Finn moves to Dalton Academy with Kurt. They will never be the same. Pre-NBK AU.
1. Chapter 1

It was three days before school started back for the spring, and in the basement of the Hummel-Hudson household two brothers were both lying awake.

Finn Hummel-Hudson was thinking about how in just three short days he would be dragging all his things over to Westerville to move into an all boys' boarding school called Dalton Academy.

Well, mostly.

That's what he should have been thinking about. And it's what he would have told anyone who asked.

But no, his mind kept picturing his ex-girlfriend and his ex-best friend making out again.

He didn't want to, but every time that he got a second to breathe - which thankfully wasn't all that often now with everything that was going on - his thoughts just seemed to stray in that direction.

He knew that Dalton was tough on academics; he was going to have to work hard to keep up. Kurt was already worried about having to catch up and Kurt was like some kind of genius or something.

But Finn was kind of glad that he would have something to keep his mind occupied.

Kurt Hummel-Hudson was worrying about what Kurt Hummel-Hudson always worries about.

His skincare regimen.

At least, that's what he'd like to everyone to think he was worrying about it.

Or better yet, he'd like them to think he was worrying about nothing, because he's Kurt Hummel-Hudson, fierce and fearless, and he doesn't worry about anything, ever.

But the truth was that Kurt _was_ worrying. He was worrying a lot.

He was worrying about starting a new school. He was worrying about being behind and not being good enough. He was worrying that Dalton could be worse than McKinley.

He quickly shook that thought from his head. It wasn't going to be worse than McKinley. Positive thinking. That's what he needed:_ positive thinking_.

"Kurt?" Finn's low whisper came from across the darkened room. "Are you awake?"

"No, Finn." Kurt hissed. "I'm asleep."

"Okay." He whispered. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine." Kurt sighed. "I'm awake now, so you might as well tell me."

"I just want you to know that I, um, I got your back, man." He said quietly. "If any of those guys give you hassle or anything it's gonna be me getting a black eye for you this time, not Sam."

Kurt looked over at the shadowy figure and smiled.

"You really mean that?" He said softly.

"Yeah, I do. I didn't do my duty as a brother before and I'm sorry about that."

"Thank you." Kurt was touched. Finn was not the type to talk about things, especially things that were personal. He knew that he had let Kurt down, not that Kurt blamed him - he didn't wish his fate on anyone - and he was trying to make up for it."It means a lot to me. It really does."

He paused, mentally taking a picture of the moment so he wouldn't forget.

"Now be quiet, I need my beauty sleep."

He rolled away from his brother and shut his eyes, willing away the worry and slowly drifting into unconsciousness.

"Goodnight, Kurt." Finn chuckled. He turned over and settled into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>"So, Blaine," Charlotte Grant smiled up at him from her third glass of white wine "Only two days until school starts again. Are you looking forward to going back?"<p>

"Yes, Ma'am." He flashed her his prize winning, pearly white smile.

"Blaine's been selected to be a perfect this year. The last boy has transferred out on an early acceptance program to Stanford. " His father said from the head of the table.

"Oh," Charlotte breathed, "What an honour. And you only a junior. You must be so proud, Kristen."

"We certainly are." Blaine's mother smiled tightly.

"Of course, Blaine's not going to let that affect his studies, are you Blaine?" His father's handsome face pulled into its usual stern look.

Blaine sighed inwardly.

"I'm sure I can handle it, father." He smiled brightly.

"Well, if it's gets too much, you can always give up choir. I'm not having you give up football. The team needs you too much." He drained the remains of the wine in his glass. "And I've never heard of a senator who was in choir in high school."

"I wouldn't dream of giving up football, father." Blaine reassured him, his fist clenching under the table.

"I'm sure he'll have no trouble coping." Lily Grant smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, her blue eyes warning him gently to keep his tone light and her hand reaching under the table to squeeze his hand. "Mrs Anderson, that necklace you're wearing is simply gorgeous. My mother was just telling me the other day that she felt like she didn't own enough bling."

She smiled as Blaine's mother and her own struck up a conversation about the diamonds around both of their necks.

"Blaine was telling me that you're a keen fisher, Mr. Anderson." She turned to him, her delicate fingers brushing a stray strand of blond hair back behind her ear. "My Dad goes fishing every weekend with some of his friends from work."

"You're most welcome to come along, William," Mr Grant said. "The more the merrier. What kind of bait do you use?"

Blaine breathed the smallest sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"What are friends for?" She said warmly, and let go of his hand.

* * *

><p>"Guys, I'm like, really bored." David whined into the phone. "Entertain me?"<p>

"I can't, David," His best friend answered calmly, swinging his racket bag over his shoulder. "I'm still at tennis camp."

"Tennis camp's for losers. Blow that popsicle stand. Please? I think I'm about jump off the roof. I have nothing to do." He flopped back onto his bed. "I even cleaned my room, dude, for the first time in like, three years."

"Ew." Theo's small nose wrinkled at the thought, as he flipped through his wardrobe for clothes to bring to school. "You're disgusting."

"Seriously, man," Wes said, pushing the door to the canteen open. "That's kind of gross."

"We have a maid." David grumbled, his dark eyes gazing blankly up at his ceiling.

"Well I'd invite you to hang out with me, but I'm already too into my preparations for returning to school. I'm halfway done packing my things. Not my clothes, obviously, they'd crease something terrible." He shuddered at the memory of the first day back last year, when he had to beat the creases out of David's blazer with the iron. "And I have a dentist's appointment later." He was carefully placing his favourite books in a cardboard board box on his bed. "I suppose you could come over tomorrow, if you wanted. I'm curling up on the couch with all the Harry Potter films and half a pound of dried fruit."

"Thanks, man." David sighed. "But if I have to listen to you gush over how cute Daniel Radcliffe is one more time, I'll push _you _off the roof."

"Why don't you call up Rebecca?" Wes said, picking up glass of juice and setting it down on his plastic tray.

"Don't mention her name." David said darkly, sitting up.

"What's she done now?" Theo said, his bright eyes narrowing. His friend's girlfriend had been messing with him for too long, and Theo was getting sick of it. They had asked him to dump her a thousand times, but he was too much in love with her to do it.

"She's been rehearsing real hard for this Music Festival thing, so I went over to her house with a cake to surprise her." He mumbled. "She was making out with some guy. Things got pretty ugly. I threw the cake at him."

"Who was the guy?" Wes asked angrily.

"I don't know his name. But I recognised him from Vocal Adrenaline." David said through gritted teeth.

"Ima cut the bitch." Theo growled. "Cheating on you is one thing, cheating on you with one of _them_? It's just one step too far."

"Seriously though, David," Wes said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sighed. "I never thought I'd say this but I can't wait until school starts again."


	2. Chapter 2

Finn tugged nervously on his collar and adjusted his jacket for the fifth time in ten minutes, shifting anxiously in the passenger seat of Kurt's SUV.

"Stop fidgeting." His step-brother said calmly from the driver's seat. "There is nothing to be scared of, Finn."

Their eyes met and both of the boys silently added "Karofsky's still at McKinley" to the end of Kurt's statement. He looked composed but Finn could tell from the distant look in his blue eyes that he was just as nervous as he was.

He attempted to lighten the mood.

"At least this thing looks good on you." He gestured to the uniform that they were both wearing. "I look like someone put a suit on a monkey and told it to walk upright. I do not belong in uniform."

"You look fine." Kurt scolded, his pale cheeks flushed slightly from the praise he wasn't used to receiving. "The fit of the jacket is excellent on you, and the colour brings out your eyes."

The brothers were heading to Dalton. They had moved their clothes and things into the dorms earlier that day with their parents. They then headed back home for a tearful goodbye lunch, after which they had put on their uniforms, hopped in the car and had taken off for Dalton in order to make it back to school for the formal welcome back dinner that evening. Classes began tomorrow morning.

Their journey had been tense and mostly silent, save for the quiet strains of music playing from Kurt's iPod. A mix of classic crooners and show tunes had been playing the entire way there. Finn had barely even noticed.

They were getting close and Finn's constant fidgeting was getting to Kurt. He was anxious enough as it was. But he couldn't bring himself to snap at his brother, not when he'd been so kind to him.

He was leaving McKinley to attend Dalton with him, to make sure that there was at least one friendly face. To make sure nothing like Karofsky happened again. Because even though there was a no-tolerance bullying policy at Dalton, Finn wanted to make sure that Kurt was safe.

Still, Kurt could feel the nerves twisting knots in his stomach, and although he was trying to force himself to keep calm, (god knows the last thing he needed was a stress pimple) he still felt like tossing his cookies into the glove box.

He knew no one here but Finn. What if they were all awful? What if, behind closed doors, they were worse than Karofsky? Psychological bullying was far worse than physical and harder to police.

He turned the car into the gates and as they drove up the long driveway, past the twinkling lights of the garden, Kurt wondered what his room mate would be like. It was two to a room and when he had moved his things in earlier his room mate had not yet arrived.

Kurt, naturally, had snuck around a little and tried to figure out as much as he could about him from the things he had left in the room over the winter break. But he couldn't exactly pin this boy down.

He had a football and a fencing uniform folded neatly in the closet. There were a few photographs pinned to the notice board above the desk on his side of the room, but just the usual; the girlfriend, the team photograph – although Kurt could not figure out whether it was the fencing or the football team, as they were all in Dalton blazers -, and one old picture of a couple which looked like it was from the seventies.

It showed a man with a ghastly shirt sitting on a couch, and a woman with the most hideous hair Kurt had ever seen leaning into him, both of their mouths wide open in eternal laughter.

It seemed like a strange photograph for a teenage boy to keep on his notice board, but Kurt was not in a position to judge. His notice board had photographs of his former show choir team all wearing wigs - including the boys, his best friend Mercedes in full Dr. Frankenfurter costume and a picture of his step-brother in a red shower curtain on it.

There wasn't much else to go on. Everything else had been taken away for the Christmas break. Or at least Kurt hoped it had. Otherwise his room mate might be some kind of robot.

His name was on the door, right above Kurt's. _Blaine Anderson._

The room was cosy though, and Kurt decided that if he had to be bullied, he would rather be bullied here in the lavishly decorated halls of Dalton Academy than in the sweaty locker rooms at McKinley.

That thought comforted him as he parked his car in the student parking lot and slid out of his seat, grabbing his satchel and locking the car. Then the two boys silently made their way through the entrance hall and up the stairs to their rooms.

"We have half an hour before dinner." Kurt said, his pale, slender fingers playing nervously with the strap of his satchel. "We can freshen up, meet our room mates and I'll come get you before we go down, okay?"

Kurt could act tough, but it was more for his benefit than for Finn's. He'd hate to admit it, but he really needed him right now.

"Okay." Finn took a deep breath. "Good luck."

"You too." Kurt answered, his features settling in their usual determined look. He turned and knocked on the door.

There was no answer, so Kurt slowly opened the door and peeked in tentatively.

"-only got half an hour. Are you even dressed yet?"

A boy stood with his back to Kurt, one hand on his hip and the other pressing a cell phone to his ear. He was taller than Kurt; lean figure, with dark blond hair which – Kurt could swear – was highlighted in honey blond.

"Oh my god Wes, calm down. This is no time to panic." He said, turning to face Kurt. "Yes, I know David's an idiot."

His handsome face brightened at the sight of Kurt and he smiled, his Hollywood grin almost blinding him.

"Besides, you were the one who got in the car with him in the first place; you know that he has no sense of direction."

Kurt looked around awkwardly, still clutching on to the strap of his satchel, wondering if he should sit down or not.

"Sorry about this," The blond guy said to Kurt. "We're having a minor crisis."

"It's fine." Kurt smiled and sat down on his bed gingerly.

"Yeah, we finished, like, ten minutes ago. Just do some scales in the car or something, I don't know." He was dressed in the Dalton regulation grey trousers and a white oxford shirt, but his top button was undone and his tie lay on the bed.

Kurt's ears perked up at the mention of scales. Maybe he and this new room mate would get along after all.

"Yeah, just, like, breathe Wes, jeez. He's gone to-" He broke off as someone opened the door.

"I found it!" The boy announced with a smile, handing the boy on the phone a road map. "It was in your glove box. Underneath two cans of hairspray, a comb and about six different bottles of hair gel." He rolled his dark eyes playfully at the other boy.

"Don't give me that, Blaine Anderson, I've seen your bathroom. I nearly drowned in product." He scowled. "Yeah, he's back now. He got the map. We will have you out of there in no time, my friend."

_Oh. _Kurt thought. So _this_ was Blaine Anderson.

He eyed him carefully. Shorter than Kurt, dark curls, deep brown eyes; he was handsome. No, he was_ gorgeous, _but Kurt quickly shook that thought from his head.

He was the picture of perfection. He was clean shaven; his hair was gelled into neat curls; his uniform was pristine. His top button was even done up and there was a prefect badge glinting on his blazer. Kurt had a sudden urge to ruffle his carefully styled hair. It might make him a little less intimidating.

The blond kid opened the map up on Blaine's desk, and Blaine turned to Kurt, sticking out his hand in preparation for a handshake.

"Hi, I'm Blaine. The idiot on the phone is Theo. You must be Kurt." He smiled.

He was once again blinded by a 100-watt smile. Kurt was beginning to think that perfect teeth were some kind of Dalton entry requirement.

"Um, yeah." Kurt slid his clammy hand into Blaine's warm, dry one and shook it. "It's nice to meet you."

"Blaine, I can't work it." Theo said curtly. "This is why I have a GPS. That and the fact that it talks to me in Darth Vader's voice."

Blaine chuckled and went over to help his friend as Theo turned to Kurt.

"Here," he said, handing him the phone. "Talk to our friend Wes. He's one of our missing tenors. They got a bit… lost. Just stop him from going into cardiac arrest, okay?" He winked. "No pressure or anything."

Kurt nervously brought the phone to his ear and was met by the sounds of an argument.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this, David. Every year we go back to school together, every year your parents call a car and we take the damn car, David, like we should have done this year. But no. Someone had to be an idiot because his stupid ex girlfriend said he wasn't spontaneous enough. There's a reason we're not spontaneous, David, it stops us from ending up in the middle of freaking nowhere when we have a performance in half an hour!"

Kurt's eyebrows raised and he held the phone back from his ear.

Theo stifled a good natured giggle as he watched him from the corner of his eye. Blaine looked at Theo and shook his head.

"We're going to be so late. God, we're going to be so late that we're going to miss it. And we'll let them all down. All that hard work for nothing. And then do you know what will happen, David, do you? We'll be kicked out, that's what. We'll be kicked out of Warblers. We're_ chairs _for Christ's sake. We're supposed to be setting an example."

"Um, hello?" Kurt tried to interrupt, but Wes kept rambling on.

"I can't be kicked out, David. I have to do something other than class work and I suck at football. I suck, I suck, I suck! And you-"

"Excuse me!" Kurt yelled down the phone.

There was a stunned silence on both ends. Theo and Blaine looked at each other, Kurt blushed fiercely.

"Thank you." He breathed. "If you have a performance in half an hour I think that screaming at your friend is the last thing you need to be doing."

"Sorry." Wes said meekly.

"That's better." Kurt cleared his throat. "Now, vocal warm ups."


	3. Chapter 3

Blaine felt his jaw drop the second the kid opened his mouth. He had expected him to croak out a few notes or something, not sing an entire vocal warm up down the phone.

_The kid __really knew his stuff, _Blaine thought, and then he felt a little bad for not knowing that Kurt was into singing.

And then he felt really guilty for not finding out anything about him before hand. He could have made it so much easier for him to settle in. He mentally scolded himself, because that's just the type of person Blaine is. He wants to take care of everyone he meets.

But it wasn't just Kurt's knowledge of vocal technique that impressed him, it was his _voice_. It was high and crystal clear; beautiful. He had an incredible range, the likes of which hadn't been seen in Dalton for decades.

He quickly snapped his mouth shut, and looked away, just in case Theo caught him staring at Kurt. But he soon saw that he need not have worried; Theo was just as slack-jawed as he was.

"_Whoa_." Theo said lowly. "Boy's got some_ pipes_."

Blaine nodded slowly in agreement, still a little dumbstruck.

"We have to get him in Warblers." Theo breathed.

Kurt (thank god) didn't seem to have noticed them gazing at him in awe. He was too wrapped up in singing.

It was nice, Blaine thought, to see such passion for music that the guy didn't mind singing acapella down a phone to two boys he'd never met, in front of two complete strangers.

It was a passion they shared. Music was the one thing Blaine loved with all his heart. No matter how angry or frustrated or depressed he got, music was the one thing he found solace in. To see that love in another person touched him. And in that small moment, Blaine suddenly felt a little less alone in the world.

"We need to… uh…" He said distractedly, pulling his eyes away from Kurt. "We need to get the directions."

"Yeah. We should do that." But Theo remained staring at Kurt as Blaine searched for them.

He shook his head and tried to focus on the map, fighting the urge to join in with Kurt's warm up. He had to find the directions. He had to get Wes and David back to school before the Warbler's entire performance went down the pan.

"Hey, Kurt?" Blaine interrupted when he had found them, sorry to halt his beautiful voice. "I've got the directions for them."

"Oh, right, sorry." Kurt blushed as he handed the phone to Blaine.

He had gotten a tad carried away. But singing was his thing. He was in his element when he performed. He knew how to do that. Making friends with a bunch of strangers? Not so much.

"Don't be." Blaine said, looking directly into Kurt's crystal blue eyes for a little longer than is usually accepted. Then he seemed to realise what he was doing. "I mean, you've got a nice voice, Kurt."

He bent over the map again, to direct his lost friends.

Kurt stared at him. He couldn't figure out if Blaine was just being nice or if he was being set up for some elaborate prank where he ended up humiliated in front of the entire school.

"Seriously though," Theo said, lying on his stomach on Blaine's bed so that he was facing Kurt. "Do you want to sing me lullabies every night? 'Cause I would not object to that. At all."

Kurt looked at him, confused, unsure as to whether he was joking or not.

"Hey Blaine, swap room mates with me, will you?" Theo pleaded.

Blaine finished giving his friends directions and hung up.

"Sorry about him," He said, giving Kurt an apologetic smile. "He tends to come on a little strong."

"You don't say." He smirked, raising an eyebrow, still not wanting to accept the praise. There must be some kind of catch. People don't just pay you compliments like that without an ulterior motive.

"You should consider joining the Warblers, Kurt." Blaine sat down next to Theo. "We could really use your voice."

"Really?" Kurt gushed. "I'd love to. Thank you."

"Not a problem." Blaine smiled. "So, tell us about yourself, Kurt."

* * *

><p><em>Be cool, Finn, be cool.<em>_ Think of this as a good thing._

_I mean__, so what if you left all your friends back at McKinley? Along with your quarterback status, your lead role in Glee Club and the girl you were in love with? _

_That's cool. It's whatever, you know, no big deal. You're just gonna have to start over here. Yeah, start over - a brand new Finn Hudson. You can be anyone you want to be. You're not a Lima loser anymore._

_You're a Westerville__ loser now._

_No, don't think like that. Stay positive. Okay. Here we are. Dorm room sweet dorm room; E14, Nick Walker and Finn Hummel-Hudson. You can do this, Finn. Just be cool._

He knocked on the door determinedly, and set his face into the most cheerful smile he muster up.

He waited, and waited, his smile faded. He knocked again.

Still no answer.

He sighed, and slowly turned the handle, pushing the door open.

He was greeted by the sight of two boys perched on the edge of one of the beds, playing Assassins Creed on X Box.

"Dude, you're going the wrong way."

"No way man, _you're _going the wrong way. I own this shit."

They pushed each other with their shoulders, their hands still gripping the controllers tightly. They were both in their uniform, with their blazers off and their shirt sleeves rolled up.

"Uh, you're both going the wrong way." Finn said, dropping his bag on the empty bed and pulling up his desk chair to sit beside them. "I played this level just yesterday. You've gotta go through that archway there. Yeah, like that."

They paused the game and smiled at him.

"Thanks dude," One of them said, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "I'm Nick, and this is my buddy Jeff."

"Hey man." His blond friend nodded. "We've been stuck on level thirty for like, an hour."

"Really? Dude, it's so simple. I'll show you." Finn grinned.

_Maybe Dalton wouldn't be so bad after all._


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I apologise in advance for my incredible lack of knowledge about gaming and Assassin's Creed.**

* * *

><p>"There's not much to tell." Kurt said, looking a little awkward. For someone who was constantly fighting to be heard, he didn't really have all that much to say.<p>

"Well, start with the basics." Blaine said helpfully. "Where did you go to school last?"

"McKinley High. In Lima." He answered, pulling his legs up to sit cross legged on the bed. "I was part of the glee club there. We were called New Directions. Well I suppose they're still called New Directions, but I'm not there so…"

"You guys won Sectionals last year, right?" Theo asked.

Kurt nodded, surprised. He didn't think he'd ever met someone who actually paid attention to the show choir circuit when they weren't competing, besides Rachel of course.

"I was there. You guys were pretty good." He said approvingly. "So why'd you leave?"

Kurt froze. What could he say? Oh, this really scary homophobic asshole kissed me then threatened to kill me so I ran the fuck away like a scared little baby? No.

He didn't want them to know. He'd just met them. It could only result in them pitying him and he couldn't stand that.

"It's a long and boring story." He said, checking his watch, praying to god - or whatever powers that be in the universe - that they would not try to get the story out of him. "It's almost time for dinner, and I have to meet my brother before we go down so…"

He trailed off, straightening his tie and standing up.

Blaine furrowed his brow. That is not the way someone behaves when they don't want to tell a 'long and boring' story. He was jumpy, uncomfortable. Kurt had seemed relaxed when he was singing or talking about his friends, but he had clammed up the second Theo had asked him why he left McKinley.

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he stood up, determining to get the story out of his room mate one way or another.

That was until he saw the look in Kurt's eye, and the way he rubbed his arm self-consciously, like he was trying to comfort himself or calm himself down, his free hand clenching into a fist. He was acting the way that Blaine used to act whenever someone brought up his old school.

Blaine took half a step towards him sub-consciously, but fought the instinctive urge to reach out and take Kurt's shoulder, to offer him some form of comfort.

"Where's your brother staying?" Theo asked, also standing up, and tying his tie back around his neck.

"The East wing, room fourteen." Kurt answered. His and Blaine's room was in the North wing, a short walk along the beautiful wood-panelled corridors away from Finn's. He had been there earlier, helping him unpack.

"We'll go with you. Or rather Blaine will go with you; I have to go get Wes and David's uniforms and meet them outside so they can change really quickly before dinner." He sauntered out of the room, throwing his blazer over his shoulder. "That's, you know, if they haven't killed each other. Or started making out."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine, and Blaine simply shook his head and gestured towards the door.

"Shall we?"

* * *

><p>Kurt and Blaine leant on the frame of the open door, staring at the three boys inside with amused expressions on both of their faces.<p>

"Dude, he was right there! You suck at this." Finn chortled. He had moved to the bed, sitting with the other boys, his blazer off and his sleeves pushed up.

"Yeah, like you can talk." Nick retorted playfully. "You spent like, ten minutes trying to kill that guy back there."

"You both suck. Seriously, I've spent half the game waiting for you losers to catch up with me." Jeff said smugly.

Finn and Nick stopped playing and shared a look, and then they both shoved Jeff off the bed and on to the floor.

Kurt bit back a smile, and swallowed the bubble of jealousy rising in his throat. Finn made friends so easily; he never had any trouble getting people to like him. Everybody who met Finn loved him immediately. Kurt could barely talk to sales people; if he did they almost always took an instant dislike towards him.

Kurt couldn't help thinking that things would be different if he wasn't gay.

No, that wasn't fair. Kurt loved who he was. He did. Even if he could change who he was; he wouldn't. It was just… difficult sometimes.

"It's time for dinner, Finn." He said.

Finn twisted to look at his brother, his mouth pulling up into a broad grin.

"Hey, Kurt." He said. "This is Nick and Jeff."

"Hello." They said in unison, as Jeff scrambled to get off the floor, flicking his blond hair out of his eyes.

"It's nice to meet you." Nick said, and he shut off the game.

"This is my room mate Blaine." Kurt replied. "Blaine this is my brother Finn.

"Hey, it's nice to meet you." Blaine said, flashing one of his 100 watt smiles. "And now that we are all introduced, shall we depart for the dining hall?"

The four boys moved off down the corridor, Nick, Jeff and Blaine walking slightly ahead of Finn and Kurt as the shorter of the two reached up to fix his brother's tie.

"It's all crooked, Finn, what did you do?" Kurt scolded.

"Nothing, Kurt, I swear!" Finn held his hands out in front of him in defence.

* * *

><p>"So," Nick said quietly as they walked slowly along the hallway. "They seem pretty cool."<p>

Jeff nodded in agreement.

"Finn's cool. What's Kurt like?" He said, sneaking a quick look back at the pair; Kurt was still fussing over the mess of Finn's tie.

"Kurt's a little shy, but I'm sure I can get him to loosen up a little." Blaine answered, wondering how true that was. When he had moved to Dalton it had taken him months to trust anyone again.

"You guys _have_ to hear him sing," He informed the boys in hushed tones. "He's _really_ good."

* * *

><p>"What do you think of them?" Kurt whispered once they appeared to be out of earshot.<p>

"They seem like pretty alright dudes." Finn answered. "How's this Blaine guy? He's not giving you any hassle is he?"

Finn puffed his chest out, his protective big-brother face on.

"Blaine's lovely." Kurt snapped, slapping Finn's fists down. "Quit babying me."

"Sorry."

They walked a little faster and caught up with the boys ahead of them.

There was a small, slightly awkward pause.

"If you guys are brothers, then why are you the same age?" Jeff asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh my god, Jeff." Nick buried his face in his hands. "You can't just ask people why they're the same age."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: ****Thank you all so much for the reviews and the favourites!**

**I'm afraid this fic is heading down an angsty road…**

* * *

><p>"No, it's fine… <em>Fine<em>, Mercedes, everything is fine."

Blaine opened the door of his dorm room after dinner to see Kurt sitting on his bed, looking a little dishevelled. His perfect hair was ruffled at the back, his shirt was crumpled. He had his back to Blaine, and a cell phone pressed to his ear.

"Dalton's lovely. They're all lovely. Everything's lovely! My room mate is lovely, Finn's room mate is lovely, everyone I've met is lovely, okay? Stop worrying about me." Kurt snapped.

Blaine leaned on the door frame, tilting his head to look at Kurt. He was sad. He didn't want to be here and Blaine knew it.

"I'm sorry," He sighed. "I'm just tired."

He sounded like it too, his voice was weary, and his shoulders had slumped down. It was going to take a lot of work to make Kurt Hummel-Hudson smile again.

But Blaine Anderson was not the type to pass up a challenge. No, he was going to make Kurt happy whether Kurt liked it or not.

"I miss you too, Mercedes." He said quietly. "I have to go. Tell everyone I say hello. Yes, even Rachel, despite what she's done with Finn. Don't tell her I said that… He's depressed and everybody knows it, despite the fact that he's pretending he's fine and refuses to talk about it whenever I bring it up. Don't tell her that either. Now I really have to go, it's nearly curfew. Goodnight, Mercedes. Yeah, okay. Bye… Bye."

He hung up and sighed, running his fingers through his hair, his gray eyes closing. He hadn't meant to snap at his friend, but he couldn't stop himself. He was miserable. He was scared and lonely and he missed his friends.

Blaine stepped into the room and shut the door, wincing slightly at the noise it made and feeling guilty for eavesdropping.

Kurt jumped and turned around, his eyes snapping open, his cell phone flying out of his hand and on to the floor with a loud thump.

"Blaine." He breathed, startled. "You scared me."

"Sorry," Blaine said, picking up Kurt's phone and handing it to him. "I didn't mean to."

"You guys were really good, by the way. At dinner I mean." Kurt said, stumbling over his words. "The song, I mean. I-I really liked the song."

When the boys had arrived downstairs, Blaine had showed Finn and Kurt to their seats and left to perform _Teenage Dream_ with the Warblers.

They were, in a word, incredible. Kurt had nearly melted on the spot. Kurt had always had a soft spot for a capella choir groups, and the Warblers were no exception. Their vocals were dreamy beyond belief, and they had Blaine singing lead. God, _Blaine._

His voice was like melted butter or something. It was smooth and rich and Kurt may have fallen a little bit in love with it.

In love with _it. _Not with Blaine. There was a difference. Blaine had a photo of his girlfriend above his desk. He'd only just met Blaine.

"Thanks." Blaine smiled, his hazel eyes shining

Okay, so _maybe_ Kurt was a little bit in love with Blaine. _Just a little._

Kurt mentally slapped himself. Blaine was his room mate. His _straight _room mate. He did not need the heartbreak of another stupid crush on a straight guy.

"We should go get ready for bed." He said, turning away from Blaine and getting his silk-blend grey pyjamas out of the dresser, pushing _those _thoughts far, far out of his brain.

Blaine was confused. They were having a moment. They _were_ having a moment, weren't they? And then Kurt had to turn away from him.

He shook it off.

_Trust issues, _he reminded himself, _just trust issues. _He had them too when he first came here. He'd just have to be patient.

"Um. Yeah." Blaine said. "We should do that."

* * *

><p>"Is this your glee club?" Blaine asked from where he sat over at Kurt's desk, his gentle fingers pointing to the photo on his notice board.<p>

"Stalker." Kurt said, as he emerged from the bathroom, still rubbing the last bit of moisturiser into his porcelain skin.

"I resent that." Blaine smiled, spinning the chair to face Kurt. "Curious is the word I would use."

"Curiosity killed the cat you know." Kurt said loftily, hanging up his blazer in the closet, marvelling at the fact that Blaine still managed to look completely poised and elegant in a pair of red cotton pyjama bottoms and a grey t-shirt.

"Satisfaction brought it back." Blaine quipped in return, spinning back round to the desk. He bent forward, taking a closer look at the pictures. "Wait…Is that Finn?"

Kurt snorted, and then smiled nostalgically at the memory.

"What in god's name is he wearing?" He said.

"A red shower curtain, I believe." Kurt replied.

Blaine raised an eyebrow at him.

"We were doing Gaga." Kurt shrugged, as if that should explain everything.

"I see… So you and Finn are…?" Blaine asked.

"Step-brothers." Kurt answered. "His mom married my dad. It's weird, but he's like family. Well, I guess he _is _family now."

"Any other siblings?" Blaine went and sat down on his own bed, which was spaced about three feet away from Kurt's.

"No." Kurt sat facing Blaine on his bed. "What about you?"

"One older brother. He's in college now, studying Business at NYU. He lives out in New York." Blaine pulled his legs up to sit crossed-legged on the edge of the bed, and Kurt mirrored his position.

"Do you see him often?" Kurt asked politely.

"We go to boarding school, Kurt," Blaine smiled sadly. "I don't see any of my family all that often. I stay here on weekends usually."

"Then when do you see your girlfriend?" Kurt blurted out.

"My girlfriend?" Blaine asked.

"I saw the picture on your desk, I just assumed. Sorry." He said, blushing fiercely.

"Oh, right, Lily. She goes to our sister school, Crawford Day. We see each other all the time." He said dismissively. He had lost his smile, and his hazel eyes had dimmed slightly. He looked at his hands in his lap where they played with the hem of his pyjamas.

He didn't like talking about Lily. The entire situation was awkward. He didn't know how to act when he talked about her. Was he even supposed to talk about her? How does one act when the subject of their significant other comes up? Blaine didn't know. He'd never had a significant other. It should come naturally, but it didn't, especially because the whole reason he and Lily were together was…

Well, he didn't like to think about that.

Kurt looked at him, confused. Clearly there was trouble in paradise.

"She's very pretty." Kurt coughed out awkwardly, and Blaine's head snapped up to look at Kurt. Then his eyes wandered over to the picture of her at his desk.

"Yes, she is." He said sadly. He shook his head. "What about you? Anyone… special?"

Kurt let out a bitter laugh.

"No." He said bluntly. "There's never anyone special when you're the only kid who's out at your school."

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Blaine said earnestly, and Kurt knew that he meant it.

Blaine looked as if he was about to say something, but he hesitated.

"Look, Kurt, I really wish I could say that it's different here, but…boys like us; Dalton boys; the sons of socialites and senators…We have different issues keeping us in the closet. Society, inheritance, the family name; they're all giant weights barricading the closet door shut. I think Theo's the only one out in our grade. There are more, for definite, but Theo's the only one who's brave enough to be out to his parents. Even then, his extended family doesn't know."

Kurt said nothing.

"Look, Dalton's a beautiful place. Everyone here is very tolerant; understanding. They're good like that. If you're gay, bisexual, transgender, flying purple dinosaur, whatever. They don't care. But their parents do. Society circles do. They can't be who they are outside of these walls." He sighed.

Kurt almost reached out to comfort him. He hadn't realised that this place could be a safe haven for anyone else, for different reasons. He looked at Blaine's downcast face and knew that that was what Dalton was for Blaine. A safe haven, somewhere he could be himself. Kurt had never been suppressed at home; he'd always been free to be whoever he wanted. He could only imagine what it was like.

"Is that why you came here?" Blaine asked. "Because you were the only out guy at your school? You don't have to answer that, if it's too personal."

"No…Yes… Partially." Kurt sighed, and twisted his fingers together, looking down, looking anywhere but at his room mate. "I came here… I came here because…."

He swallowed thickly and looked up at Blaine.

"There's this…guy. His name is Karofsky. He's a big, football jock, a typical Neanderthal. He… didn't like who I am. He… bullied me. He slushied me, tossed me in dumpsters, threw me against lockers. Everyone knew… and everyone ignored it. I thought it was just because he didn't understand. I thought he was just being ignorant so I confronted him." He took a deep breath, fighting the tears forming in his eyes. "He kissed me… It was my first kiss and he stole it from me. And then he threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I told the faculty about the bullying, but… nobody really seemed to care."

Blaine's heart nearly broke at the sight of the boy in front of him.

"So now I'm here. I ran away." A single tear rolled down Kurt's cheek and he looked away.

Blaine walked over to Kurt and sat down next to him, placing a warm hand over Kurt's cold ones.

"You did the right thing in coming here, Kurt." Blaine said softly. "You didn't run away, you were just protecting yourself."

Kurt pulled his hands out from underneath Blaine's and scrubbed fiercely at the tear tracks on his cheeks.

"You can't tell anyone, okay? Please, don't tell." He pleaded. "The last thing I need is everyone's pity."

"I promise." Blaine reassured him. "I promise, Kurt."

"You can't even talk to Finn about this, Blaine, I mean it. Even he doesn't know about the kiss. He'd go after Karofsky if he knew, he'd get himself killed." Kurt bit his lip. "You can't tell him, Blaine."

"I won't, I swear." Blaine took Kurt's hands again. "I promise, Kurt. I won't tell anyone."

"We should go to sleep." Kurt said, pulling away from the boy in front of him. "It's late and we have class tomorrow."

Blaine sighed and went back to his own bed, glancing back at Kurt sadly.

"Okay, Kurt." He said, and climbed into his covers.

Kurt turned off the lights and slid into bed.

There was a small silence where they listened to each other breathe in the darkness, neither one saying anything but both desperately wanting to, without knowing what it was they wanted to say.

"Blaine?" Kurt said softly.

"Yes, Kurt?" Blaine answered.

"Thanks." He whispered, so quiet that Blaine might have missed it had he not been hanging on to Kurt's every word.

"Goodnight, Kurt." He smiled. "Sweet dreams."

"Night, Blaine."


	6. Chapter 6

**Please forgive any mistakes. I did not proof read this. **

* * *

><p>"Dude, I do not get <em>any<em> of this." Finn said, collapsing on the seat next to Kurt at the lunch table. "I think my brain melted."

"It's really not that difficult, Finn." Kurt said, taking another bite of his salad. "It's simple calculus."

Finn groaned and his head slumped to the table. They were sitting with Blaine, Theo, and Wes, eating lunch after their first day at Dalton Academy. Classes had been pretty intense, but Kurt found that he could keep up quite easily; in fact he rather enjoyed it. Schooling at McKinley hadn't been in the slightest bit challenging for him. At least here he knew he was learning something.

Finn on the other hand…

"It'll get easier, Finn." Blaine promised from his seat on the other side of Kurt. "When I first transferred I didn't get anything either."

"Math was not this hard at McKinley." Finn moaned, tucking into the plate of spaghetti in front of him. "Everything here is impossible."

"That's because they didn't teach us anything at McKinley. You're being pushed here, it's good for you." Kurt said, matter-of-factly. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"So this is the infamous Finn Hudson." Theo said, taking a sip of his drink. "I've seen you perform. You're very talented."

"Thanks man." Finn grinned. "You sang last night, right? You guys were awesome."

"Why thank you." Theo smirked. "The Hummel-Hudson brothers are both singers, Wes. They should join Warblers, should they not?"

"I'll have a word with Thad about it, but I'm sure he'll have no problems with you guys joining." Wes smiled. "Welcome to Dalton, Finn."

"Hey guys." David said brightly, taking the last seat beside Theo. "_Wes_."

He said the boy's name curtly, his pleasant expression stiffening.

"_David_." Wes replied darkly.

Theo raised his eyebrows, biting back a laugh. Blaine shot him a glance, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut.

"Finn, this is David. He, Wes and Thad are the chairs of the Warblers. It's run like a council. The students make the decisions; we don't have a teacher in charge." Blaine explained, trying to break the tension that had settled around the table.

"It's nice to meet you." David said.

"What would you know about nice?" Wes muttered.

Blaine cringed, his head sinking into his hand, preparing himself for the fight. Theo bit his lip to keep from smiling; Finn was just confused.

"Me?" David said incredulously. "You're the one who said all those awful things last night." he snapped, dropping his bag down on to the ground.

"Only because _you_ said that you never wanted to be my room mate." Wes retorted, throwing his fork on to his plate forcefully.

"Because _you_ said you'd never get in a car with me again." David hissed. "Don't try and pin this on me, Wes."

"How long have they been married?" Kurt whispered to Blaine.

He snorted loudly.

"Maybe we should give these boys a moment." Theo said pointedly, picking up his tray and making to move.

"No, it's fine." Wes said to the table. "We'll go."

"What if they want to go, Wes? You can't just force them to stay here just because you want them to. It doesn't work that way." David bit back angrily.

"Oh my god!" Wes cried, grabbing his arm and dragging him away, despite his protests. "Just come on."

"Um… What was that?" Finn asked, perplexed.

"They had a little bit of a lovers tiff last night." Theo informed him. "Jeff and I have the dorm room next to theirs. They yelled at each other until midnight. Even after that I could feel the loathing seep through the walls. I got no sleep what so ever."

Finn tilted his head to the side, still confused.

"They're best friends." Blaine explained. "They've known each other since they were born. They had a fight. It'll blow over. They're nice guys, really." He promised, trying to smooth over the situation. He tried to find something to change the subject. "So, Finn, you sing too?"

* * *

><p>"A bird." Kurt said bewilderedly, holding up the cage and peering through the bars at the tiny, golden canary inside. "You gave me a bird."<p>

Blaine smiled at the younger boy's expression; it was a mixture of confusion and incredulity with just a subtle hint of haughtiness.

"Yes," Blaine chuckled. "We gave you a bird. We could have given it to Finn, you know, but we figured he had more of a chance of surviving if we gave him to you."

The boys were sitting side by side on the leather couch in the Warbler's practise room after Kurt's first meeting. He and Finn had easily made it past the brief, formal audition process, after which Pavarotti – the Warblers' prize canary – had been handed down from Jeff to Kurt.

"I don't know how to take care of a bird, Blaine." Kurt said, placing him down on the table.

He had been at Dalton Academy for a week now, and despite a few minor hiccups - getting lost etc - it had gone by reasonably smoothly. He liked it here, it was safe and accepting and everyone treated each other with respect, something that would never happen at McKinley.

Blaine was marvelling at the fact that Kurt seemed to have settled in so well. He had seemed so shy when he first came, but he'd adapted to the swing of things so quickly, it felt like Kurt was meant to go here; he belonged.

"Don't worry, I'll help you. Pav was mine before Jeff came. All he needs is clean water and enough bird feed. You can leave him here in the practise room; he's used to it and no one's ever in here unless there's a meeting." Blaine assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

Blaine was very tactile and Kurt was finding it a little difficult to get used to. For the first few days he'd flinched whenever Blaine went near him; he wasn't used to it, and Karofsky had messed with his sense of personal space. He instinctively shied away even when his dad went to hug him.

He'd never really given it all that much thought before, but he couldn't ever remember someone touching him that much. Blaine touched him all the time.

It was little things; a comforting hand on his knee when he said he was tired; grabbing his hand when they were running to class; seizing him by the shoulders when he wanted to show him something. Even when they were in class he would find small ways to keep the contact between their bodies; their legs would touch or he'd lean close into him to whisper something in his ear

But to Kurt they weren't just little things. They were gestures of affection and friendship, and though he wasn't quite sure how to reciprocate them yet, he would find a way.

Of course, they could always be gestures to indicate something more. Like Blaine being secretly gay and in love with him.

Not that Kurt had thought about that.

Nope, Not at all. Not even one bit.

All the same, Blaine did not remove his hand from Kurt's shoulder until they stood up to leave.

* * *

><p>"Theo, you're gay right?" Finn said bluntly, peeking his head around the door of dorm room that Jeff and Theo shared.<p>

"Oh hello, Finn dear. So nice to see you. Why don't you come in? It's not like I was studying for my Chemistry test or anything." He said sarcastically from where he sat at his desk, his eyes glued to his Chemistry book.

"We've been back two weeks, man, how much can you have learned that you need to study? Besides, the test isn't until Wednesday man, and it's _Friday_." Finn said. "Chemistry can wait."

Finn and Theo had become close friends pretty quickly, much to everyone's surprise. Theo was so flamboyant and confidant; Finn was shy and simple. Nobody thought they would get along so well, least of all Finn. But they actually had a lot in common.

They shared a love for the uncomplicated; both firm believers in the tell-it-like-it-is mentality. They were honest and open and said exactly what was on their minds. Which was not always a good thing…

"Seriously, Theo, you're gay right?" Finn pushed, his fingertips thrumming impatiently on the door frame.

"Yes, Finn." Theo sighed, finally looking up from his homework. "I'm gay."

"Great, because I can't find Kurt and I'm going out tomorrow to see my friends in McKinley and my ex might be there and I can't find a thing to wear." Finn said, taking Theo's arm and dragging him to his dorm room.

"So?" Theo drawled, rolling his eyes, allowing himself to be pulled along the corridor.

"So you have to help me!" Finn whined.

They reached Finn's room and he shoved Theo inside, shutting the door.

"Whoa." Theo's eyes widened as he took in the room. It was covered in clothes that had been tossed out of Finn's wardrobe in his desperate attempts to find something to wear. "What happened? Hurricane Rachel?"

"I'm not normally like this." Finn explained, running his hand through his hair, his eyes a little wild. "She makes me kind of crazy."

"I can see that." Theo said, eyeing the mound of shirts on Finn's bed. He didn't know he owned that many plaid shirts. He didn't know anyone_ could_ own that many plaid shirts.

"I just need her to think that I'm over her, you know?" Finn explained, frustrated. Rachel was still screwing with his head and they weren't even together anymore.

"I thought only girls did this." Theo smirked, faintly amused by the entire situation.

"Shut up." Finn scowled, collapsing on to the bed.

He had given up. He was acting so weirdly; not even he knew what he was doing anymore. He felt betrayed and helpless and he couldn't shake it however hard he tried. What if this happened to him every time he got in a relationship? What if he was just the guy who perpetually got cheated on? The thought had been playing on his mind for weeks; he was sleeping badly; he was unfocused in class. He was going crazy and it was all Rachel Berry's fault.

Theo looked down at his friend and frowned. He wanted to make him feel better, but he didn't know how. He'd never been good at comforting people; that was Blaine's job. Whenever he was sad he curled up on the couch with a tub of Ben & Jerry's, but Finn didn't seem like that kind of guy.

He picked up a pair of jeans off the floor that looked like they'd be good on Finn.

"Here, try these on." He said, handing them to Finn. "I have the perfect shirt for you."

He left and quickly retrieved a black, long sleeved t-shirt from his room. He and Finn were roughly the same height, and the shirt was slightly baggy on Theo, so it would fit Finn perfectly.

"Here," He said, tossing the shirt at Finn, who was still sitting on the bed, staring at the jeans. "Hop to. We don't have all night."

Finn shuffled slowly into the bathroom, and slipped the clothes on. This was a stupid idea. He was just going to stay at Dalton tomorrow, he'd call Puck in the morning and cancel, he decided, sighing before he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

He looked good. The shirt fit nicely and it was something that Finn might actually wear, as opposed to the bow-tie and waistcoat that Kurt would have put him in.

When he came out of the bathroom Theo was sitting cross legged on his bed, playing Assassin's Creed on the Xbox.

Finn did a slight double take.

"Turn around." Theo commanded, when he realised that he was out of the bathroom, pausing the game to look at Finn. "Very nice. Although you might want to get an early night tonight; you have bags under your eyes. Really big ones. Like suitcases."

Finn looked at him in confusion and sat down beside him.

"You're playing Assassin's Creed." He stated, raising his eyebrow slightly.

"That I am." Theo replied. "Or was. I have to go back to studying now, if your fashion crisis is over."

"But you're gay." He blurted out.

"Doesn't mean I can't kick your ass." He retorted hotly.

"Sorry. I didn't mean that. I just- " Finn began.

_Finn had a gay stepbrother, _Theo thought angrily, _why did he still believe the stereotype? _

"I may be gay, but that's not all I am, Finn." Theo said bitterly. He walked over to the door, but paused before leaving. "Have fun tomorrow."

"Theo!" Finn called after the boy but he was already gone.


	7. Chapter 7

As Kurt got to know Blaine, he realised that some of the assumptions that he had made about him the first time they met weren't entirely true.

Like the assumption he had made that Blaine was pristine. Yeah, that one was far, _far _from the truth.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked in alarm, his perfect features twisted up in a mixture of disbelief and disgust as he entered his kitchen after fetching another apron from the hot press.

"Making cupcakes for the New Directions bake sale." Blaine answered cheerfully, turning around. "Or at least that's what you told me. Have I been lured here under false pretences, Master Hummel?"

He grinned playfully and licked a lump of batter off his finger. There hadn't been that much point in getting that apron; Blaine was coated head-to-toe in flour.

"I told you to mix the batter. Not cover yourself in it." Kurt scoffed. "What did you do? I was gone for like, ten seconds."

"I put the ingredients in the bowl and turned the electric mixer on." Blaine shrugged.

"You have egg shells _in your hair_." But Kurt couldn't pretend to be angry anymore, a small smile forming on his lips as he stepped forward to pick the shell out of his friend's curls.

Blaine ducked his head to let Kurt remove the egg shell, looking up at him sheepishly through his eyelashes.

"Where's the fun in cooking if you can't get a little dirty?" Blaine asked, reaching around Kurt's waist to get the cocoa powder from the counter top.

That was another assumption that had been blown out of the water, the one that had said that Blaine was a stick-in-the-mud who couldn't have any fun because he might rumple his perfect uniform, or mess up his perfect hair.

"Blaine Anderson, if you throw anything on me, I swear to everything you hold sacred that will make your life a living hell." Kurt threatened, holding a finger up in front of Blaine's face and glaring at the shorter boy.

"Fine." Blaine sniffed, placing the cocoa powder back down and pouting. "Spoil my fun."

Kurt smiled smugly back at him, and began spooning the batter into the cupcake cases.

"Thanks for helping out." He said.

"Anything to help a friend." Blaine replied, sneaking an egg out of the box and weighing it carefully in his hand. Kurt would be mad. Kurt would be very mad. But he'd be cute mad. He'd be _adorable_ mad. Plus he had promised to make his life a living hell, and Blaine couldn't just pass up an opportunity like that, now could he?

"At least it got the both of us out of Dalton for the weekend." Kurt continued, oblivious. "I mean, movie marathons in the dorm room are fun and everything, but we just need to get out of that place sometimes, you know what I mean? It's great, but it's kind of stifling."

"Mmhmm." Blaine hummed in agreement, walking slowly around Kurt like a predator, deciding that it was probably best to just smash the thing directly on Kurt's perfectly coiffed head. He lifted his hand-

Kurt's arm snaked out and caught Blaine's wrist.

"Nice try, Anderson." He twisted Blaine's hand upwards and took the egg from it. "But I think you're underestimating who you're dealing with."

And with that he broke the egg perfectly on the side of the bowl poured out the contents into Blaine's curls.

"You're evil." Blaine breathed as the yolk dripped down his face.

"Why thank you." Kurt smirked back at him.

Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>Finn stood outside Theo's door cursing himself.<p>

He was an idiot; a complete and utter fool. He couldn't believe that he'd opened his stupid, big mouth without thinking and offended someone he cared about yet again. Theo was turning into one of the best friends that Finn had ever had, and now he'd probably lost his friendship forever.

He knew that gay guys weren't all the same, but the only openly gay kid he knew was Kurt, for Christ's sake, and Theo was fairly flamboyant… Maybe not as flamboyant as Kurt, but Finn figured that Kurt was probably as flamboyant as anybody could be.

"Theo?" He knocked on the wood tentatively. "Um, Theo, are you there?"

Theo rolled his eyes when he heard Finn's voice float through the door. He was hurt, he was angry, and he was a little embarrassed. He preached tolerance and acceptance and not acting on impulse, but he wasn't practising it.

Finn was trying to understand something he didn't know very much about, and Theo had yelled at him for it; he felt ashamed.

_Man up, Theo, _he thought, _stop being a melodramatic douche and apologise. _He didn't want to fight with Finn; he was turning into a good friend.

"Um, dude, look I know you don't want to talk to me right now, and that's totally fine." Finn began from outside the door.

Theo walked over to the door and flung it open.

"Hey." He said, unsure as how to proceed.

"Hey." Finn answered, shuffling his feet a little.

"You should come in." Theo sighed, stepping back to allow his friend into his room, closing the door behind him.

"Before you say anything, man, you have to know that I'm sorry for being such a jerk, I wasn't thinking when I said that and –" Finn began.

"No, Finn, it's not your fault." Theo protested, interrupting the dark haired boy. I'm sorry I snapped. I'm so protected here that I sometimes forget that prejudice even exists."

"All the same, dude, I shouldn't have made that assumption about you." Finn said sadly. "I'm trying really hard not to be that guy, you know?"

"I know." Theo replied, looking awkwardly down at his feet. "So… Friends?"

"Definitely." Finn's face broke out into a grin and he pulled Theo into a hug.

Theo smiled back at him.

"Jeff and Nick and I were going to play Call of Duty, if you wanna come?" Finn asked. "That is, you know, if you can handle it."

He bumped Theo's shoulder with his own.

"Please." Theo smirked cockily. "I could kick all your asses with my hands tied behind my back."

"You're on." Finn laughed.

* * *

><p>As Blaine and Kurt lay panting on the kitchen floor in the aftermath of the cupcake war, covered in batter and egg and flour, they tried to remember a time when they'd had that much fun, and they both failed.<p>

"I can't believe we did that." Kurt said breathlessly after their laughter had finally died out, his head falling sideways to look at Blaine.

Because he couldn't believe it. Blaine had tackled him and poured cupcake batter down his favourite shirt and Kurt didn't care. He had powered sugar in his ears and he barely noticed. He had butter in his freaking _underwear _and it didn't bother him at all.

Blaine stared back into Kurt's eyes. They changed colour, Blaine had decided, like the sea. Some days they were a dark, stormy grey; some days they were deep, hazel-flecked green. Today they were a crystal blue, the colour of a clear sky just after it's rained.

"I'm really glad that you decided to come to Dalton." He said quietly, still trying to catch his breath; which was proving a little more difficult than planned while he was still staring at Kurt.

There was flour all over his head, making his silky, dark hair look almost white. There was batter smeared on his cheek, sugar clinging to his eyelashes, and a streak of white frosting tracing his jaw line; Blaine had never seen anything more beautiful.

"Me too." Kurt smiled back, unable to keep a grin off his face.

_You should tell him, he would understand. _

The thought crossed Blaine's mind before he could stop it. He couldn't tell Kurt… _could he? _

No. No, it wasn't fair. Besides, what would Kurt think if he told him that he was… who he was? Kurt was so proud and so open and so fiercely unashamed of himself that Blaine would feel wretched to admit that he was not.

Kurt was already reluctant to trust him. On the night they met, Blaine had tried to hold his hand, to comfort him, and Kurt had pulled away every time. Blaine was working on it, and Kurt was slowly learning not to jump away from the contact, but he still had trouble opening up to Blaine. If he realised that Blaine was keeping something like this from him, he'd never trust him again.

Blaine realised that he and Kurt were in the honeymoon phase of their friendship; that time where the other person seems infallible; perfect. If he told Kurt now, he'd find out that Blaine was nothing more than a coward.

He also realised that Kurt would soon spot one of his many flaws, and their friendship would never be the same as it was now; lying on the cold tiles, messy and perfectly happy. But that would be one of his lesser flaws, not this one. He could never tell Kurt this one.

He shook himself out of his thoughts to find Kurt's huge, crystal eyes gazing at him in concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked tentatively.

Blaine leaned forward conspiratorially, so that their noses where mere centimetres apart.

"Kurt, I have to tell you something." He whispered seriously. "I have frosting in places that no man should ever have frosting."

Kurt burst forth in a fresh round of giggles, his laughter pealing, bouncing off the walls, and Blaine couldn't help but laugh along with him.

Blaine impulsively reached out his hand to take Kurt's, and this time, he didn't pull away.

They lay there, hand in hand on the kitchen tiles, laughing until their sides ached.

"We need to make more cupcakes." Blaine chuckled out. "Preferably ones that actually make it into the oven this time."


	8. Chapter 8

Blaine was in the shower, and Kurt was stretched out on his bed, trying to read Vogue.

The word trying is used here because he was doing just that. He was _trying _to read Vogue. But he was not succeeding.

Because Blaine was in the shower. Singing. Loudly. _Without any clothe-_

"The movie starts at twelve, Blaine. Hurry up." he called through the wall, shaking that image out of his head. "I think you take longer to get ready than I do, which is really saying something."

Kurt heard the water being shut off, and then Blaine poked his head around the door, soaking wet, his dark curls dripping water onto the hardwood.

"That is not true." Blaine chuckled, throwing a sponge at Kurt, which narrowly missed him and landed on the floor.

"Missed me." Kurt said playfully, sticking his tongue out. "And you can clear that up later."

Kurt returned to his Vogue, ignoring the fact that his brain was screaming at him that Blaine had used that sponge in the shower. On his naked body. On his _hot, wet, naked-_

Oh, would you look at that. Blue is back in for spring.

* * *

><p>Finn was waiting at the Lima Bean for Kurt.<p>

Well, Kurt and Blaine, he presumed, given that they were practically attached at the hip these days.

Either way, he was waiting. And he'd been waiting for over an hour now. He'd had three biscotti and two coffees and he was bored.

He drained the last of his drink and dialled Kurt's number yet again, motioning to the barista to bring him another coffee.

"Kurt, it's me again. You're not picking up your phone for some reason and I'm going to murder you when I see you. Actually no, I'll murder Blaine, because it's probably with him and that's why you're not answering my calls." Finn said grumpily. "Whatever, it's half five, we have to be back to Dalton tonight, and my mom can't bring me back. So you need to get your ass down here. Bye."

A waitress brought over another coffee and a cookie and set them down on Finn's table.

"Thanks," He said, not looking up at her, rooting in his pocket for his wallet. "What do I owe you?"

"It's on me." The waitress answered.

"You really don't have to do that." Finn said, looking up to see the pretty girl staring back at him sympathetically.

She was wearing a grey shirt and jeans, and the red uniform apron that all employees at the Lima Bean were forced to wear. Her pale, blond hair was tied up neatly at the back.

"Yes, I do. I know what it's like to be stood up, you know. I've been there and I could have really used someone to bring me cookies." She told him, sliding into the seat beside him.

"I haven't-"

"I mean if it were me – not that it's any of my business or anything – I'd dump this Kurt guy. Not that I was eavesdropping. Because if I was eavesdropping – and I wasn't - then I'd tell you that if he's with some guy called Blaine and not with you then he's probably not worth your time. Not that I was eavesdropping because I totally wasn't." She said with an innocent grin.

"No, you don't understand-"

"Also, if I was eavesdropping and overheard everything you were saying, I would know that you go to Dalton Academy and I just wanted to say that I go to Crawford Country Day and we totally live beside each other and I could give you a ride back tonight if you're stranded." She smiled broadly at him. "If I was eavesdropping. But I wasn't."

Finn was a little taken aback. She was talking very fast and being really nice, which was a good thing, right? Because a pretty girl who brings you cookies is always a good thing, right?

Damn right. Except that she thought he was gay. Which he wasn't. That wasn't good.

"I'm not gay." He blurted out, unthinkingly.

She tilted her head to look at him in confusion.

"I mean, Kurt's not my boyfriend. He's my brother." He said. "My step-brother actually."

"_Oh._" The girl said, her eyes growing wide. "My bad. I thought… Never mind then..."

There was an awkward pause as both teenagers struggled for something to say.

"I'm Lily, by the way." She said finally, shaking Finn's hand.

"Finn." He answered.

"So… You still need that ride back to Dalton?" She asked.

* * *

><p>"I just don't understand why the cute guy had to be eaten." Kurt stated as he and Blaine emerged from the movie theatre.<p>

Blaine was trying to explain the finer points of zombie movies to him, given that that was what they ended up seeing because Blaine had taken so long getting ready that they had missed Kurt's choice of a quirky romantic-comedy.

The movie had bored Kurt, and if Blaine was honest, it had bored him too. But Kurt had tucked his head into Blaine's chest every time things got too gruesome on screen, so he wasn't exactly complaining.

But while his head was tucked into Blaine chest, Kurt started thinking that this position should really be reserved for Blaine's girlfriend. And then he started to wonder why Blaine never mentioned her. And then it started bothering him. It started bothering him a lot. Did he think that Kurt wouldn't get it? Because he was gay and had never been in a relationship?

"Because then the girl wouldn't be able to get with her hot saviour." Blaine explained. "Besides, it's a zombie movie and I'm pretty sure there's some kind of quota of attractive people that have to be consumed by their former friends that has to be filled in zombie films. I think that he was probably only in there to get eaten in the first place so-"

"Why don't you ever talk about your girlfriend?" Kurt asked abruptly, cutting his friend off mid-sentence.

"What?" Blaine said, startled.

_Crap, _he thought, _I am the worst fake boyfriend ever. _ He hadn't even so much as _thought _about Lily in weeks, let alone contacted her. Of course Kurt was suspicious.

_I am the worst liar ever. God forbid I should ever get into government._

"You never talk about her. Ever. You haven't mentioned her once since the night we met." Kurt said, leading Blaine out to the parking lot. "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I don't understand heterosexual relationships, Blaine."

_Oh, _Blaine thought with relief. _Oh, so that's it._

"I mean, if you guys are having trouble, I could probably help you out." Kurt babbled on, too embarrassed to stop now. "I've had girls complaining to me about their boy troubles for the past four years, you know, so I have a fairly comprehensive insight into the female mind."

"Kurt, stop." Blaine said earnestly. They had reached the car now. "I don't talk about her because there's nothing to say. We're good. There's nothing going on in our relationship. If I talked about it all the time you'd be bored out of your skull, honestly."

Kurt looked at him, his old reservations welling up inside of him, before noticing the sincerity in Blaine's eyes. Kurt was being defensive about his sexuality without even knowing he was. It had become such a defence, such an automatic thing that he barely realised he was doing it anymore. It was like a pre-emptive strike, a safety barrier; he automatically assumed that people were repulsed by who he was, because most people were.

"Sorry." Kurt said, looking away. "I'm just so used to…"

"I know, Kurt." Blaine replied sadly. "I know."

"We should get to the Lima Bean." Kurt said briskly, trying to alleviate the suddenly heavy mood and stepping into the car. "Finn will be wondering where we are."

* * *

><p>"Are you always this nice to complete strangers?" Finn asked, climbing into the passenger seat of Lily's car.<p>

"You said you were stranded." Lily shrugged, smiling. "And as a member of your sister school, I felt obliged to help you out… And I felt guilty for listening in on your phone call."

"I thought you weren't eavesdropping." They both laughed.

"Are you always this trusting?" She teased, a playful glint in her blue eyes. "I could be a serial killer for all you know."

They had spent another hour in the coffee shop talking as she completed her shift, tending occasionally to the other customers, but mostly focusing her attention on Finn.

It was easy to talk to her, he realised. Not difficult the way it had been with Quinn, and not as one sided as it had been with Rachel. She was interested in what he had to say, it seemed like she actually cared.

"Yeah, but I don't think serial killers are as pretty as you are." Finn said, then immediately wished that he could take those words back and shove them down his throat again.

_Great, that's just great. You've put your foot in it again, Hudson. When in god's name are you going to learn to keep your big trap shut?_

Lily blushed, but quickly recovered.

"It's how I get my victims alone." She winked.

* * *

><p>"Kurt, you've got like, six messages and ten missed calls from Finn." Blaine said, glancing up at his friend from the passenger side where he was staring at Kurt's phone. "Maybe you should remember to take your cell phone out of the car next time."<p>

"I blame you." Kurt retorted. "You were distracting me."

"How was _I _distracting you?" Blaine scoffed.

"You asked me whether or not I thought the movie version of Sweeney Todd did it justice. How was I supposed to focus on my phone at a time like that? I was thinking about Johnny Depp." Kurt said. "What did Finn want?"

Blaine had been listening to Finn's voicemails, and they were getting angrier as he kept listening.

"Well, apparently he wants to kill me." Blaine said after listening to them all. "And he got a ride back with some girl he met at the coffee shop."

"He what?" Kurt asked, incredulously. "He got into a car with some stranger?"

"Evidently so." Blaine said, amused.

"That boy is going to get himself killed one of these days, I swear." Kurt said, shaking head. "Don't delete that voicemail. I want to keep it as proof that it's all Finn's an idiot and it's his own fault if he gets murdered."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: A huge thank you to all the lovely people who review, it means a lot!  
>I'm planning on putting this up on livejournal when it's finished, after a bit of tweaking, naturally. But I don't know how it works. I would be eternally grateful if someone would drop me a line to explain.<br>Thanks again!**

* * *

><p>"Kurt!" Finn said loudly, bursting through the door of his brother's dorm room. "What are you going to sing?"<p>

"I don't know, Finn." Kurt said wearily.

He was lying stomach down on his bed, flicking lazily through his History book, attempting to study.

"Well, can you help me?" Finn asked hopefully.

The Warblers had decided that Finn and Kurt should both sing for the council during one of the weekly meetings; they wanted to hear their newest additions perform. Not to mention the fact that it would give them an idea of how the competition usually did things.

"Sure, Finn." Kurt sighed, sitting up. "What do you feel like singing?"

"I don't know." Finn said. "That's why I need your help."

"It has to come from the heart." Kurt said simply, in a tired little voice. "Figure out what you want to say to these boys and then just sing it to them instead."

"But I don't really have anything to say to them." Finn said.

"You'll think of something." Kurt said, lying back down on the bed, pushing his history book out of the way.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Finn asked, sitting down beside his friend. "You love this stuff. I thought you'd have plenty of ideas."

"I'm just tired, Finn." Kurt said, burying his face in his sheets.

"It's not Blaine, is it? 'Cause you guys have been spending a lot of time together. If he's being a jerk you can tell me, you know. This school has a no-tolerance bullying policy for a reason." Finn said seriously, his fists clenching involuntarily.

_If that short-stop of a room mate of a lead singer was __being mean to Kurt, Finn would never forgive himself. He was supposed to be looking after him. _

"You do realise that you're jumping to ridiculous conclusions, right?" Kurt said cattily, the noise muffled in bed covers. "Why would I spend all my time with someone who bullied me?"

"Hey Kurt, I'm only looking out for you." Finn defended.

"I know, Finn." Kurt sighed deeply.

Finn patted him awkwardly on the shoulder.

"Can you go, please?" Kurt asked quietly. "I don't want to be rude or anything, but…"

"Sure." Finn replied.

He walked over to the door, and hesitated.

"If you need anything, you know where I am." He said, then left.

"I'd really like it if you could come along, Finn." Blaine said sincerely as he and the taller boy walked down the corridor on their way to the weekly warbler meeting. "Wes and David will both be there, and Nick and Jeff, and Theo too. I really want you and Kurt to be there as well."

"Please come," Nick pleaded. "I will die of boredom if you don't."

"Hey!" Blaine said, pretending to be offended. "It's fun. I swear its fun, Finn."

"Think of it as a rescue mission." Theo offered. "You'll be saving me from my family."

The Anderson's Annual Spring Break Extravaganza had rolled around once again.

Every year the Anderson family, and a couple of their friends from the country club would go off to spend four glorious days of good old fashioned American fun at the Anderson's country house.

Blaine always dragged his friends along, if they had not already been invited by his parents, and this year was no exception, despite the trouble he'd had convincing Kurt.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't know, Blaine" Kurt said slowly, his head buried in the wardrobe, hanging up his clothes. "What exactly does this trip entail?"<em>

"_There's some baseball, a barbeque, swimming, hanging out." Blaine listed. "It'll be fun."_

"_Baseball's not really my thing." Kurt said, turning away from the wardrobe but avoiding Blaine's eyes. "I don't know how to play."_

"_I'll teach you." Blaine said hopefully. _

"_And that barbeque…" Kurt said. "I'm not sure I can eat a whole hunk of meat that's been on some smoky grill for hours…My complexion can't handle that."_

"_The cook will make you something." Blaine answered, waving his hand dismissively._

_Kurt wracked his brains. _

"_I don't have a swim suit, Blaine. I can't go." He said resolutely._

"_Now you're just making excuses." Blaine said, trying to keep the hurt from his voice. "Why don't you want to go, Kurt?"_

"_Blaine, do you really think it's a good idea?" Kurt began bitterly, finally looking at his friend. "You said yourself that society circles don't approve of who I am and now you want to throw me into one?" _

_Kurt clenched his fists and groaned in frustration, gritting his teeth. He didn't mean to snap, it just happened. This was another thing he couldn't do because people hated him for something he couldn't even help._

"_Sure, I could try and pretend that I'm some normal, straight guy for a week. But let's face I; I never have been and I never will be. I am not ashamed of who I am, Blaine. I am proud to be myself. I spent sixteen years repressing all of that to try and fit in and I'm sick of it, Blaine." _

_He took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair._

"_Look, you're my best friend and this break sounds truly amazing. Really, it does. And I'd love to go. But I'm not going to stand around all weekend pretending to be someone I'm not, because I don't think I can." He finished forcefully, his porcelain cheeks faintly flushed._

_Blaine's face had fallen, his hazel eyes sad. He hadn't even thought of that._

"_You're afraid my family won't accept you." He said softly. He knew the feeling; he was scared of the exact same thing._

"_After Karofsky…" Kurt trailed off._

"_My family are not like some brute who cannot handle his feelings, Kurt. They are good, respectable people and while there is a possibility they may not accept who you are, they will not treat you any worse than any other person they know." Blaine said carefully. "They're not raging, violent homophobes, they're a little uncomfortable with the idea, sure, but they will not hurt you."_

_Kurt gently sat down on his bed, tugging his cardigan sleeves down over his hands._

"_What they're afraid of…" Blaine took a deep breath. "They're afraid that one of their sons or daughters will turn out to be gay. They're terrified of it. God, could you imagine anything worse?"_

_He let out a pitiful__ laugh._

"_Please say you'll come, Kurt. If anyone so much as raises an eyebrow at you, you can go home at once, I promise." Blaine said, taking Kurt's hands and looking into his eyes. "Please."_

_Kurt hesitated, biting his lip and looking away; he couldn't focus when Blaine looked at him like that. _

"_Fine." He sighed. "Fine, I'll come. But you owe me."_

_Blaine's face nearly split in two, he grinned so wide. He grabbed Kurt and pulled him into a tight hug. _

"_Thank you!" Blaine squealed. "You won't regret it."_

* * *

><p>"Sure, man." Finn smiled. "I'd love to go. I'll ask my mom tonight."<p>

"Sweet." Blaine grinned. "I am looking forward to this weekend more and more."

"Blaine, your girlfriend's going to be there right? Because I'm bringing Caroline and I want her to have someone other than my mother and sister to talk to." Nick asked casually.

Blaine paused, his face falling.

_Damn._ He'd _forgotten. _He's forgotten all about that.

"Yes." He said quietly. "Yes, she is."

Suddenly this week away didn't seem like all that much fun.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Firstly, I am super sorry that this took me so long to get out, it was exam week and then there was**** all this drama… Basically, I'm sorry.**

**Secondly, I made a tumblr so you can bug me about writing more if you're that way inclined. ****./**

**Also, there is lots of crying in this chapter. Yay!**

**ONE MORE THING, the song is **_**Green Finch and Linnet Bird **_**and I recommend you go listen to it right now. :)**

**Thanks, as ****always, to everyone who bothers to read this drivel. **

* * *

><p>It was approximately seventeen minutes past five o'clock in the afternoon when Blaine Anderson realised that he had feelings for Kurt Hummel.<p>

Not the good kind of feelings, the bad kind. The kind that make you feel nauseous and anxious and all shivery when he looks at you.

The kind that make you re-evaluate every touch, every look, every tiny little detail to try to find out when it started happening, so that you can build a time machine and go back and stop yourself from ever feeling like this.

The kind that make you feel a little queasy, a little dizzy and a little stupid all at the same time because you don't quite know what you're doing, you just know that you're doing it for him.

Seventeen minutes past five was – approximately – the time that Kurt Hummel-Hudson, after listening patiently to all of the official Warblers business that had to be covered that day, stood up to sing.

Blaine stared at Kurt unabashedly, glad that something had given him the excuse to look at his best friend and be able to just _look, _to drink him in with his eyes.

He marvelled at how incredibly calm he appeared, his hair neatly slicked back, his bright eyes shining with something Blaine couldn't quite put his finger on. Determination, maybe? Or strength?

No, that couldn't be it, because those were the things Blaine saw in Kurt's eyes every single day. This was something different; something new; a fierceness that he couldn't believe he'd missed before.

It suddenly struck him that Kurt was beautiful. Really, really _beautiful. _Not just his glittering crystal eyes or his radiant pale skin. Not just his delicately flushed cheeks or his perfect, rose-petal lips. But all of him; every cell in his body, every thought in his head; every little bit of him was beautiful.

It also struck him that this was a very dangerous thought to think, and he frantically wracked his brains to find one of Kurt's flaws. Kurt was cynical and catty at the best of times, he was cold and haughty.

But while Blaine could acknowledge these flaws, he could also admit that these were some of the things he loved most about him.

Kurt nodded to Nick, who stood at the stereo and pushed play on the backing track.

Blaine didn't know what the elegant boy was going to sing before the stereo let out the opening notes; Kurt hadn't let him hear him practise. He'd always disappeared off to the senior commons to rehearse, or sang when Blaine was at football or fencing. He was dying to know what Kurt had chosen.

His eyes widened in surprise when he heard the gentle music of the flutes. He was singing _Green Finch and Linnet Bird_ from Sweeney Todd, one of Kurt's personal favourites. He had transposed the song to a lower key than the original, but still, he was pushing himself, stretching his falsetto above and beyond.

_Green finch and linnet bird, nightingale, blackbird,  
>how is it you sing?<em>

_How can you jubilate, sitting in cages,_  
><em>never taking wing?<em>

Blaine tore his eyes from his room mate to take a quick glance around the room at his fellow Warblers. They were sitting, slack-jawed in amazement, just as he had expected them to be. Yes, Kurt Hummel-Hudson was beautiful in every way, and his voice was no exception. It could leave a room full of boys positively speechless, and it was doing just that.

_Outside the sky waits, beckoning, beckoning…  
>Just beyond the bars.<em>

_How can you remain, staring at the rain,_  
><em>maddened by the stars?<em>

_How is it you sing..._  
><em>Anything?<em>  
><em>How is it you sing?<em>

He moved gracefully through the room of his stunned team mates, walking to where Pavarotti stood chirping in his cage over by the window. He stayed there, staring at the bird, and Blaine looked into his eyes once more.

There was determination there, yes, but now there was something else. The fierceness had cracked and another emotion was trickling through.

_My cage has many rooms,  
>damask and dark.<br>Nothing there sings,  
>not even my lark.<br>Larks never will, you know,  
>when they're captive.<br>Teach me to be more adaptive  
>Ah...<br>_

Sadness. The other boys may not be able to see it, but Blaine could. It almost hurt him to look at his friend and see sadness in his eyes. It gave him a raw, vulnerable quality that Blaine had never seen in him before; he was so strong, so tough, so hardened by the cruelty of men that Blaine never thought he'd ever see this quality in him.

_Green finch and linnet bird, nightingale, blackbird,  
>teach me how to sing.<em>

That's when it hit him; why Kurt chose this particular song to sing.

He felt trapped. Dalton was his cage. The uniformity, the rules, the sheltered nature of it all; they were just bars to hold him in.

Kurt was a bird. Yes, he was safe behind these bars; protected in his cage; nothing could harm him here. But he was a prisoner, held captive in blue blazers and _just try to fit in_ attitudes. He was scared of life outside his sanctuary but he'd rather have fear and freedom than this suffocating safety.

_If I cannot fly…_

Kurt lifted his head and looked out the window with a gut-wrenching sense of sheer _longing_, fighting the tears in his eyes.

_Let me sing._

He finished softly, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

The room burst into thunderous applause, and Blaine determined, right there and then that he would do everything in his power to make sure that not one more tear would fall from those beautiful eyes ever again.

* * *

><p>After the meeting, when they returned to their dormitory, they did so in silence. Not an awkward or tense silence, but a gentle one. The kind of silence Kurt needed.<p>

And when they closed the door, they stood, face to face, staring deeply into one another's eyes, a little too close for friends, but not enough for more.

There was a challenge in Kurt's gaze, daring Blaine to say something, to reproach him, to make some kind of comment. But beneath that, if you looked closely, there was a hint of desperation; a plea crying out _please, please understand. I don't hate it, I don't, how could I? It brought me you. But please, please understand that I feel so confined here, and I don't know what to do._

In Blaine's eyes there was compassion, and empathy, and pain because he could see that his friend was being stifled. The blue blazer was clipping his wings and there was nothing Blaine could do to stop it. But behind that was _please, please, I want you to be happy, I do but…Please understand. Please don't leave me, please._

They stood like that, in their silent, frantic appeals, saying nothing until Kurt finally cracked and snaked his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling him close. _  
><em>

"I'm not going anywhere." Kurt whispered, and Blaine felt a little embarrassed. He should be the one comforting Kurt, not the other way around.

But that was the way things were with them, they seemed to inherently understand what the other person needed.

Blaine said nothing, but gripped the other boy tighter to him, his strong arms curled around his waist. He didn't trust himself to speak out loud and swallowed thickly as his eyes began to well up.

"Besides," Kurt continued. "I can't go anywhere. Karofsky's still at McKinley, and while I'm certain he's found another punching bag by now, I don't think he'll let me go all that easy."

He tried to keep his voice from shaking, praying to god that Blaine didn't notice when it did.

"I'm sorry." Blaine whispered, clinging on to Kurt, desperately trying to tug his friend even closer to him than he already was.

He didn't quite know what he was sorry for; nothing, everything. Sorry that he was trying to make Kurt feel better but failing miserably. Sorry that he had to make Kurt feel better in the first place. Sorry that he couldn't be everything that Kurt needed.

He was sorry that Kurt had to leave McKinley, sorry that he was glad Kurt did, sorry for what Karofsky did to him, sorry that there are people in the world who can be so incredibly _cruel,_ and even more sorry that he couldn't do anything to stop them.

Sorry that he felt so _helpless._

"I know." Kurt whispered back, giving the shorter boy one last, bone-crushing squeeze and pulling away.

"_Hey._" He said softly, gently moving his thumb across Blaine's cheek to wipe away the tear that had escaped.

Blaine thrilled at the touch, his body instinctively leaning into Kurt's hand, both self-conscious and grateful.

"Why don't we go get some dinner?" Kurt said, reaching his hand out for Blaine to take. "You can tell me what to pack for this Anderson spring-baseball-grill-train-wreck-thing."

And as Blaine took Kurt's hand and let himself be led along the corridor, he realised that this was the first time Kurt had held his hand without Blaine taking it first. He smiled then, because_ yes_, that sadness was still there in his eyes, but it was being overshadowed by other things; friendship, excitement, affection.

And Blaine knew that, over time, if he tried hard enough, that little trickle of sadness would be completely engulfed by happiness.

* * *

><p><strong>T<strong>**his chapter was really hard to write because it's a lovey-dovey chapter and I was most definitely ****not**** in a lovey-dovey mood when I wrote it, so most of the time I wanted to punch Blaine in the face. Sorry if that came across. **

_**Green Finch and Linnet Bird **_**just seemed so fitting I couldn't not use it. **


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I just realised that I never actually gave my tumblr address, so here it is:www . pollychapel . tumblr . com (Just remove all the spaces)**

**Last chapter before the Spring-baseball-grill-train-wreck-extravaganza! AKA, this is the chapter with all the hate.**

**Thanks as always to the wonderful people who bother to read this.**

**Apologies for any mistakes, this was very rushed.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Blaine Anderson hated football.<p>

Well, not really. He loved football. Or, rather, he loved _watching it. _He loved going to games and supporting his favourite team; the occasional toss about in the garden. He would even go as far as to say that he loved the damned game itself. It was playing it that was the problem, and at that moment, with his face half immersed in mud, he hated it. He hated it with a passion.

It wasn't like he didn't try, because he did. He tried harder than most of the guys on that team; he trained longer, he went to extra practises. The unfortunate fact of the matter was that Blaine was simply not built for it.

The thing is, of course, is that things like height and build could be overcome, compensated for with heart.

That was the one thing Blaine did not have. Oh he had plenty of it for other things, just not football.

He could train as hard as he wanted, go to practise after practise, game after game and he wouldn't get any better, because his heart simply wasn't in it. His heart was somewhere else, beating on a smoky stage somewhere, belting out crooners to a hall filled to the brim with adoring fans. Or it was lazily dancing his fingers over a piano, graceful fingers sending twinkling little notes from the ivory keys into the thick, golden air. Or, most recently, it was away with Kurt somewhere in the corners of his mind, just hanging out, the beautiful boys pale, slender fingers laced with his own.

Either way, it wasn't on the game, which is why he found himself lying face down in the mud increasingly often.

Blaine had the determination, yes, but not the passion. He was made for sitting in the stands. He was made for old love songs and step-ball-change choreography. He was made for sitting in the stands and cheering for the Dalton Academy Dolphins until his lungs gave out. He was not made to play.

But he did anyway. Because of his father.

And for that very reason he grit his teeth and picked himself out of the mud, steeling himself for another hour of the same, his heart dreaming of Kurt.

Kurt and a really long, hot bath.

* * *

><p>Theo Jackson hated keeping secrets. I mean, he <em>really <em>hated it.

His thoughts were nothing but a bitter string of curse words as he trudged downstairs. His steps were heavy; his strong, handsome features had collapsed into a strange expression, somewhere halfway between a frown and a grimace. His shoulders were pushed down by the weight of the truth.

He really, really didn't like keeping secrets.

He wasn't even that good at it, anyway, in fact, he was crap at it, absolutely shit, couldn't keep his mouth shut for a second even if he wanted to; couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

But this wasn't his secret to give away, and as much as it pained him to keep it, it would hurt him even more to let it go.

He couldn't even think about telling someone, the sheer thought of it made his heart soar and then crash down into a pit of fire and broken glass. If he told, everything that was good would come crashing down and shatter into a million pieces.

And it _was_ good, when he didn't think about the fact he was undoubtedly living a lie. It was _so good_. He'd practically been flying earlier, floating on the buoyancy of covert little glances, shared clandestine smiles when no one was looking, stolen kisses in empty bathroom stalls.

But it never lasted long enough. Fear of being caught cut the already miniscule exchanges short. No one else could know, and that knowledge plunged into his heart like an ice knife. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but he couldn't even whisper it in a crowded room.

Theo used to consider himself to be a man who lived for danger, thriving on the thrill of risking it all. Not anymore. There was too much at stake.

He cursed bitterly under his breath and kicked the banister as he passed. It was futile, but he had to do something to get his anger out.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

_My room mate just left for the weekend. Come over?_

He smiled despite himself, and felt his heart stirring in the ashes.

Yes, it was most definitely a bad idea, and would only serve to make things worse in the long run; but this wasn't the long run. This was here and now and he was damned if he wasn't going to enjoy it. It was all going to end in tears anyway, and fairly soon.

Their time together was coming to an end, and he knew it. They'd kept their secret for almost five months now, and something that good could only stay secret for so long. The way he saw it, they were past their sell-by date, they would be discovered and everything would be ruined.

He didn't want it to end. But something that perfect simply couldn't last.

So given that they didn't have all that much time left to them, he figured he should make the most of it. Yes, he would end up heart broken; there was no doubt about it. So he was damn well going to get his kicks while he could.

* * *

><p>Kurt Hummel hated a lot of things in this world; getting slushied; being thrown in a dumpster; stirrup pants. But right now, out of all the things he hated, he hated Wes and David the most.<p>

He was packing when they burst into his dormitory, without knocking, on Friday afternoon, gathering up his toiletries and the stray pieces of normal clothing he kept at Dalton that he wanted to bring with him to Blaine's country house. He was leaving for home that evening, where he would finish packing and stay until Sunday morning, which is when he would depart for a week of self-imposed torture to make his best friend happy.

Okay, maybe he was being a little melodramatic. The week away sounded like fun. It did. It didn't mean that Kurt was any less anxious about going though. He could put up a front, say he didn't care on bit, but he did. People you desperately want approval from silently judging you was worse than them openly hating you and shoving you into lockers. At least then you had something to be defiant against.

He shook his head. He hadn't even met these people yet. He was jumping to conclusions.

"Kurt!" David exclaimed loudly, clapping the boy on the shoulders before flopping on to Blaine's bed.

"Hi, Kurt." Wes said calmly from the doorway, before walking in and closing the door behind him. "Are you packing for the week at the Andersons'?"

"Yes," Kurt answered warily. "Yes, I am."

"Good…Good." Wes replied slowly. "It's usually a lot of fun."

"So I've heard." Kurt said dryly.

There was a tense silence, and the reason the two older boys had come hung heavily in the air. They were not here for a friendly chat or small talk; they meant business.

"So, Kurt..." David began, sitting up.

"Yes, David."

"We were wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Well, not really wondering, so much as that we couldn't help but notice…"

"Yes?"

"And we may have asked Finn…"

"Go on."

"But we noticed that you've never had a boyfriend." David finished in a rush, glancing up at Kurt to check his reaction.

Kurt pursed his lips, making a mental note to punish Finn later.

Wes and David watched him carefully.

"No." He said curtly. "I've never had a boyfriend."

"Yes, well we couldn't help but notice..."

"Yes?"

"That um…"

"Spit it out."

"Well, that you've been looking a little down lately."

He paused for a reaction, but Kurt simply raised an eyebrow. He was staring intently at the suitcase in front of him, and he looked like he was trying to set it on fire with his mind.

"And we wanted to… I mean we wondered if…"

"What?" Kurt snapped, finally looking up at his friend.

"We want to set you up." Wes answered for him. "On a date. With a boy."

_Oh._

Kurt narrowed his eyes at them.

"No thank you." He said stiffly.

"Come on, Kurt!" David pleaded. "You need to get out there, put yourself in the dating game!"

"Really, I'm fine."

"It's not that we don't think you can get a date on your own, Kurt, it's just that we know you won't. You won't even go looking for one." Wes explained. "And we think it would do you some good."

"I really don't need a boyfriend, thank you very much."

"Ah, but you want one, don't you?" David said persistently.

"As touched as I am by this offer of your matchmaking skills, I will regrettably have to decline, boys." Kurt said, crossing his arms resolutely.

"Oh come on, Kurt! Don't spoil our fun!" David whined. "Besides, it'll take your mind off things."

It was no secret that Kurt had been driven out of McKinley by his homophobic aggressors, but only Blaine knew the full truth of the matter. Kurt didn't want to tell them, but Blaine had quietly let them know. They did not treat Kurt the way he thought they would treat him, not with pity or contempt, but with compassion and a little bit of sympathy. And he was grateful for it.

"Yeah," Wes agreed. "When Blaine first came we set him up with Lily. It took his mind right off the bullies. And they're still together. She makes him happy."

In actual fact, Blaine was fairly miserable even after he and David had set him up. It wasn't until after Christmas that Blaine actually started smiling properly again. But Kurt didn't need to know that. Besides, it was Lily who had made him smile again, Wes knew it. It just took a little time. He was sure. 100%. Well, maybe 95% sure…57.5% sure at the least.

"Wait, Blaine was bullied?" Kurt asked, bewildered.

He knew that Blaine had transferred to Dalton, at the beginning of the school year from a public school in Westerville. But he didn't know that Blaine had been bullied. Why wouldn't Blaine tell him that? It's not like Kurt wouldn't understand. If anyone knew what it was like to be bullied, it was Kurt.

"Yeah, he didn't tell you that?" David said.

Kurt shook his head, frowning.

"Well then, you see? Lily must have made him forget all about them." He grinned widely in what he hoped was a convincing manner; yet another 100-watt Dalton smile that was being worked to its full advantage.

Kurt chewed his bottom lip and regarded them carefully.

What was the harm? No one here was going to beat him up for it, and he was damn tired of being single all the time. And yes, maybe he did get butterflies every time his skin brushed Blaine's and sometimes it felt like there was a piano sitting on his chest when Blaine looked into his eyes, but Blaine was _straight._ Blaine had a _girlfriend_ and Kurt was not going to just sit around and pine over a boy who would never be his. He wanted to know what all the fuss was about, all the songs, all the plays and films and books and musicals. It couldn't hurt to just…

"Okay." He said finally. "Okay, fine, yes. You can do it. You can… set me up."

"Thank you!" David squealed, clapping his hands. Wes grinned happily. "We won't let you down, we promise!"

He pulled Kurt into a hug before darting out the door, dragging Wes with him.

"Wait!" David called out, running back a few seconds later. "What's your type? Do you even have a type? No, I don't suppose you do, do you? Don't worry, I'll figure it out! You won't regret this, Kurt!"

And with that he was gone again.

Okay, so maybe Kurt didn't hate them that much after all.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Thanks, as always, to the loyal Klainers who read this drivel.**

* * *

><p>Sunday morning started off fairly regularly. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and ten teenagers were slowly making their way to the Anderson's country house.<p>

By the end of the day, deep secrets would be revealed, harsh words will be spoken, and no teenager under the Anderson roof would sleep with an easy mind.

But there's no need for that yet; it's only nine o'clock in the morning.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you sent a car." Kurt said darkly down the phone when his friend picked up, glaring at the back of the luxurious leather seat in front of him even though Blaine couldn't see him. "What am I? Pretty Woman?"<p>

"_Don't I get a hello?" _Blaine chuckled, pressing his phone to one ear with one hand, while the other one

"Don't I get free will?" Kurt countered, his bright eyes narrowing.

"_Not until I get a hello." _Blaine said, completely unfazed by the waves of hate rolling heatedly down the connection.

"Fine." He said scathingly._ "Hello._"

"_I thought you'd like it."_His friend said earnestly,

"No, you thought that if you sent a car, my dad would make me take it, because it's rude not to. That way I couldn't drive my own car down to your damned country house and you could make sure I don't leave."

"_That is not true."_

"It is true." Kurt said. "I know you, Blaine Anderson."

"_Okay, maybe a little," _Blaine conceded, sighing a little. _"I just don't want you to leave the second you get here. Or drive off the second I fall asleep. Because that's definitely something you'd do, Kurt. Not that I wouldn't appreciate the drama of it, but still. What I said before still stands though, you can leave if anyone makes you feel uncomfortable. I can call you another car. Your baby not being here is just my way of removing the temptation."_

"Yeah, yeah." Kurt grumbled, sinking down into the comfortable seats.

The car was very nice, really; he'd never had a chauffer before. And Blaine was right; it _was _the kind of thing Kurt liked. It made him feel special and frivolous. He would have been enjoying it so much more if he didn't feel like he was being sent to the chopping block.

"_Is Finn with you?"_ Blaine asked. _"Or did he go with Theo?"_

"No, he's with me." Kurt glanced over to his brother, who was slumped in his seat, thumbs moving quickly across the keyboard of his phone. "He's not much company though. He's texting his _girlfriend_."

"She's not my girlfriend." Finn said automatically, not looking up from his phone.

_She's not my girlfriend, yet, _Finn thought.

They had been texting for three weeks now, practically non-stop, and Finn really liked her. Really, _really _liked her. He just hadn't worked up the courage to tell her.

"_What girlfriend?" _ Blaine inquired.

The sound carried through the quiet car to Finn, who rolled his eyes.

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND." He shouted, exasperated.

"Yes," Kurt said dryly. "But you wish she was."

Finn fell silent, a feint blush threatening to engulf his cheeks. He couldn't argue with that.

"Either way," Kurt said, returning the conversation to Blaine and himself. "He's not much company, so you're going to have to entertain me throughout the car ride."

"_How?" _Blaine asked, amused.

"That's for you to figure out, genius. If I'd gotten my way, I'd be driving my own car and be far too occupied to talk to you. But you wanted it this way, so this is what you get."

"_Oh,__" _Blaine laughed._ "Well then. I guess I'll just dazzle you with my sharp wit and exquisite charm; stun you with my vivacious conversation topics and sparkling intelligence."_

"And where are you going to get all that from?"

* * *

><p>Theo Jackson arrived to the country house at ten o'clock. He was the first there.<p>

He was staying, along with the rest of the boys, in one of the many guest rooms in Blaine's parent's house. His parents, who had also been invited, were staying nearby in a plush hotel.

Theo had come straight from Dalton where he had been spending a blissful weekend trapped inside a dorm room, laughing away the hours in a hazy, carefree way, constantly pushing away the threat of being caught. They had snuck armfuls of junk food from the kitchens before hiding away, surviving on bad daytime television and the bittersweet brush of their lips.

They had not left the room for two days.

The thought of it ached inside him, each golden memory chipping away at his heart, burning the edges like acid. They spent the past two days in each others arms and now he couldn't even so much as look at him for too long.

He swallowed hard against the bile rising in his throat. It was only four days. _Just four days. _

* * *

><p>Lily Grant arrived with her brother Jeremy half an hour later. Jeremy was a senior at Dalton and they'd come directly from there, swinging by Crawford on the way to pick up Lily. Their parents were staying in the same plush hotel as Theo's.<p>

The Grant siblings had exchanged hugs and smiles and pleasant greetings when they were reunited. They were close. They rode the rest of the journey in silence, however, both of them off in their own little places in their heads.

You know how some people are wonderful at putting on fronts? They seem bubbly and happy and charming when they talk to you, but the second no one's around the façade drops and they're entirely different?

The Grant siblings were two such people.

Lily texted Finn the entire way there, about everything and nothing. She would not see him for the next four days, and she thanked god for her cell phone, knowing that it would be her only connection to the real world.

That was how she distinguished between them. There was this world, with its trust fund and Cartier watch and water polo and Blaine; and then there was the real world, with the coffee shop and the beat-up car she'd bought without her parent's knowledge and Finn. They were two separate places.

That was why she and Finn never discussed school, not after that first day when she'd driven him back to Dalton. Whenever she felt the conversation drifting there she steered it somewhere else. Finn wasn't like the boys her friends dated. He was an escape.

She had told him she was on a camping trip.

Her brother was staring out the window beside her, his perfect teeth worrying on his bottom lip. He wasn't taking in anything that went past; he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. He was like that increasingly often, he only talked in company. He was retreating into himself.

Lily had barely even noticed.

* * *

><p>Wes and David arrived soon after; bickering about something or other as they cheerfully greeted their friend and went to unpack in their usual room. They were regular guests at the Anderson country house.<p>

Nick and Jeff were staying nearby, in Jeff's parents' summer house, along with Nick's girlfriend Caroline and both of their families; they would arrive to the Anderson house later.

Blaine answered the door to each and every one of them with a broad smile and his cell phone pressed to his ear, showing them to their rooms and then leaving them to get settled in and freshened up before lunch. He kept his word and talked to Kurt for the entirety of the three hour car journey and only hung up when Kurt stood in front of him, his face flushed with a breathless smile.

"Hi." He said, the phone still at his ear.

"Hi." Kurt replied with a wry smile, and hung up.

Blaine showed the Hudson-Hummel brothers to their rooms. Finn was staying in one of the many guest rooms and Kurt was staying on a pull-out bed in Blaine's room.

"I figured you wouldn't mind, seeing as we sleep in the same room all the time anyway." Blaine had said as he dragged Kurt's suitcase into the room.

He didn't mention how he was finding it difficult to get to sleep without the younger boy's gentle breathing to fill the silence of his empty room.

Blaine asked after Burt and Carole, Kurt inquired as to the health of Mr & Mrs Anderson. Kurt's curious eyes wandered around the room as Blaine helped him hang up his things. The room was lovely; all cool pastel colours and dark wood furnishings. It was beautiful, yes, but it felt cold and impersonal. The only signs that this room was inhabited by a human being were the clothes in the closet and a trio of photographs, the same three that were pinned to Blaine's notice board at Dalton.

A bell rang somewhere in the large house.

"It's time for lunch." Blaine had said softly. "We're eating out in the garden."

He took Kurt's hand, but dropped it once they reached the door of Blaine's bedroom.

Kurt ignored it. Blaine was different here; subdued, quiet. Not his usual self. Kurt wanted nothing more than to just throw him in the back of his Navigator and drive straight home, but that wasn't an option. He would just have to do his best to wait it out.

They met up with Theo and Finn and walked downstairs together. Judging from the silence in the house and the racket coming from the patio, they were the last to arrive to lunch.

Blaine took one last look at Kurt and pushed the glass doors open, walking through with a bright smile.

Everyone turned to look at the late arrivals.

"_Lilly?"_Finn said, his eyes wide.

"Finn." She breathed.

Oh _god._


End file.
